Meet Srikanth Bolla: The Man Behind 500 Cr Company

Success Story Of Srikanth Bolla

Meet the perfect example of determination and resilience. When you decide to pursue something big in life, no obstacle can stop you. 

Here we are talking about Srikanth Bolla, an Indian industrialist and the Co-founder Chairman of Bollant Industries. 

Born blind and into a poor family, where many believed it would be hard to care for him, Srikanth defied all odds. 

Despite facing numerous challenges, he is now the founder of a ₹500 crore company.

Srikanth Bolla Early life

Srikanth Bolla was born on July 7, 1991, in Seetharamapuram, Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, to a Telugu-speaking family.

Though he was born into an agricultural family in Machilipatnam, right after his birth, some of his relatives suggested to his parents that they should abandon him because he was visually impaired. 

But his parents never listened to them and gave him all the facilities with the small income they earned from farming. 

When Srikanth was six, he walked to school with his brother and classmates. His classmates avoided him because he was blind and he faced many challenges. 

At eight, he went to a boarding school in Hyderabad where he learned to swim, play chess, and cricket. Srikanth became part of the Andhra Pradesh state blind cricket team and won many awards in chess and cricket. 

In 2022, Srikanth got married to Veera Swathi. Then in 2024, they had a daughter, and they named her Naina Bolla.

Srikanth Bolla Education Qualification 

After finishing high school, Srikanth wanted to study science, but he wasn’t allowed to. So, he filed a case and, after waiting for six months, he got permission to study science at his own risk. Srikanth did really well in his final exams, scoring 98%. 

He wanted to go to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to study engineering, but they wouldn’t let him because he’s blind. Instead, he got a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Management from MIT Sloan School of Management. 

He was the first blind international student there. Srikanth has some great memories of his time at (MIT) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, like moving to the USA, taking his first flight, and adjusting to things like showers and Western bathrooms.

He had opportunities to work in America, but he wanted to bring innovative ideas back to India. 

Srikanth has been a youth leader since 2005 and became a member of Lead India 2020, a movement started by former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Lead India 2020 aims to help India become a developed nation by 2020 by fighting poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment.

Srikanth Bolla Entrepreneur Journey 

In 2012, Srikanth started Bollant Industries, his current organization, which is a fast-growing, eco-friendly paper product manufacturing company. Co-founded by Srikanth, his mentor Swarnalatha Takkilapati, and angel investor Ravi Mantha, it was started with a mere capital of about Rs 10 lakh. 

Today, the company has grown both horizontally and vertically and is valued at approximately Rs 500 crore, has an annual turnover of more than Rs 100 crore, and has 500+ employees.

Since its incorporation in 2012, the company has been growing at a steady rate of 20% per month, and the compound annual growth rate has been a whopping 107% from 2015 to 2019.

Bollant was established with the mission of overcoming employment barriers for more than a hundred million physically and mentally challenged people and to provide sustainable and competitive employment to both skilled and unskilled or uneducated Indians. 

The manufacturing plants employ a mix of uneducated and unskilled able-bodied people and people with various abilities.

Srikanth believes that everyone should have the opportunity to work, and training and employing disabled persons are good for each individual. He believes it is smart business — and is good for India. 

Through its five manufacturing plants, Bollant Industries provides direct and indirect employment to around 500 and 2,500 people, respectively.

The company currently engages in the manufacturing of Kraft paper using recycled post-consumer municipal paper waste along with other elements like eco-friendly disposable consumer products and recycled paper-based disposable and packaging material. 

It also manufactures non-chemical based food-grade adhesives, printing inks, FMCG products, and its surfactants.

Srikanth strongly believes that protecting the environment is the only way to create wealth out of waste and build scalable businesses. This vision leads Bollant to recycle unusable water, plastic, boiler-generated solid ash, and solid waste. 

This is why Bollant is “a zero-waste company”. Bollant not only recycles 100% of its own waste but also recycles pharmaceutical effluents in the surrounding areas to create industrial chemical products. 

Srikanth envisions Bollant to be a unicorn by 2025 with an annual turnover of more than 1000CR INR, at which he plans for listing his company globally.

Srikanth believes in using green solar power to run his machines, and so, plants at Bollant Industries partially run on solar power. 

When someone says Srikanth can do nothing, he goes over their head to say that he can do anything. Today, Srikanth continues to push his company to grow and expand further.

Srikanth Bolla’s journey is not just a story of personal triumph but also a testament to the power of determination, innovation, and the will to make a difference in the world.

Srikanth Bolla Awards

Srikanth Bolla has received many awards and honors for his remarkable achievements. Some of them include:

• Pratibha Excellence Awards, given by the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for academic excellence. 
• Pride of Telangana Award in the emerging business entrepreneur category by Round Table India – 2018
• Young Change Maker of the Year by Hindu Business Line – 2018
• Listed in Forbes Asia 30 under 30, as emerging entrepreneur under the age of 30 – 2017
• Emerging Enterprise Award by Saakshi group – 2017
• Nava nakshtra  Sanmanam by TV9 media group 2019
• Social Entrepreneur of the Globe by Youth Business International Uganda – 2016
• Emerging Leadership Award by ECLIF Malaysia – 2016
• Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by CII – 2016
• Indian of the Year Award – 2015 by NDTV
• Best Youth Leader Award from the former president of India – 2012
• Youth Leadership Award presented by New Jersey Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula – 2011
• Honored Member, National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), a renowned college honor society – 2011
• national entrepreneurship award by government of India,  2019
• entrepreneur of the  globe by one young world, UK, 2019
• finalist in emerging  entrepreneur  by financial times, UK, 2018
• Youth Excellence Award presented by the Telugu Fine Arts Society of New Jersey – 2010.
• Distinguished Youth Service Award” presented by Dr. J. Bapu Reddy for Outstanding Academic Performance – 2010.
• All India Silver Medal for Fractional Distillation of Petroleum Project in 93rd Indian Science Congress – 2007
• Won 2nd place in India’s 93rd Indian Science Congress
• Outstanding person in business category, JCI India

In 2021, Srikanth Bolla was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and JCI USA recognized him as one of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Persons in the world. A movie about his life may also begin shooting.

Srikanth Bolla: A Story of Impact

From humble beginnings, Srikanth Bolla built Bollant Industries, a company that creates eco-friendly products and provides jobs for hundreds.

With a focus on sustainability and inclusivity, Srikanth’s vision has made a positive impact on both people and the planet.

His story inspires us to believe that through determination and compassion, we can create a better world for all.

Also Read: Meet this couple who earned 2 crores every month with their business